


same as it ever was

by ccj



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Growing Up Together, M/M, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 06:59:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccj/pseuds/ccj
Summary: TJ laughs and Cyrus laughs back and when Cyrus returns his hand to his side but still so close to TJ’s, TJ hears a voice in his head that sounds scarily like his brother asking him what he has to lose.





	same as it ever was

**Author's Note:**

> Rated teen just for some cussing. Cyrus and TJ are aged up to 16/17 just for the sake of plot! Noah is an original character I wrote because I like the concept of TJ being a little brother and some of his ~stuff surrounding sibling dynamics. Enjoy!

TJ Kippen is pretty sure that watching a horror movie with Cyrus Goodman is the definition of “a gift and a curse.” It’s probably the biggest cliché in the book but TJ is eating it up, especially because he knows that Cyrus is two gory scenes away from burying his head in TJ’s shoulders instead of his own hands. Apparently, it’s only one and TJ is not prepared for the sudden pressure on his shoulder. He reacts like he does when Puddles, Cyrus’s step mom’s cat curls up on his lap, with complete stillness as if Cyrus will leap away if he remembers that it’s TJ that he’s pushed up against.

“Is it over, is it over?”

TJ’s too focused on steadying his breathing to bring his heart back down to an acceptable rate to respond.

“TJ?” Cyrus peers up at him and TJ, for the first time in his life, curses his own height because if it weren’t for it they’d be head on right about now. Still, it’s close enough for TJ’s heart to speed back up all over again. Damn it. “Is it over?”

“Oh uh...” TJ forgot to look at the screen. When he does, he sees the protagonist sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the bloodbath from the last scene. “No, not yet.”

“Thanks TJ,” TJ looks back down and Cyrus is still looking up from his shoulder, a small smile now spreading across his face, “We’re still gonna watch something corny after this right?”

“Of course. I pinky promised you. You can’t break a pinky promise.”

“Okay but I’m talking really corny. Like Notting Hill corny.” He shakes his head against TJ’s shoulder, “I need to cleanse my brain from this.”

“I think I’ve only seen that in tater theatre form but sure Cyrus, whatever you want.” _Truly, whatever_ , he wants to add but holds his tongue.

“Wait you’ve never seen-“

“BOO!”

Cyrus leaps so far from TJ’s body that TJ would be impressed by the athleticism of the jump if he weren’t so annoyed. When he turns around and comes face to face with the wide eyes and grin behind him he lowers his face into his hands, groaning.

“TJ,” Cyrus whispers, “There’s a man in your house. Oh my god I’m dreaming. Actually, that makes more sense, real TJ would never agree to watch Notting Hill with me.”

“Nah,” Noah reaches forward, ruffling TJ’s hair as much as he can, “little Tyler Joseph has a soft spot,” he pulls his hand back, frowning, “Ew, dude what did I tell you last time? Go easy on the grease. This is like some Danny Zuko level shit.”

“Okay the intruder’s a Grease fan...this is definitely a dream then.”

TJ sighs, quickly walking across the living room to turn the light on, flicking off the TV as he does. “Cyrus, this is my brother, Noah. Noah, this is Cyrus.”

“Sweet,” Noah reaches his hand forward, shaking Cyrus’s, who sticks his out automatically, always putting manners first no matter the level of shell shock. “You look too small to play basketball.”

“That’s because I am. Actually, I’m too small to play any sport, really. Except maybe polo, of the horse not water variety. Actually I think I’m a bit too tall for that but maybe when I was younger...did I know you have a brother? How did I not know you had a brother?”

“You did,” TJ shrugs, “but it doesn’t matter. He’s supposed to be at college. He goes to a fancy liberal arts school in New York. He has for _awhile_.”

“Correction, I’ve lived in New York for awhile. The fancy liberal arts school is a more recent development.

“Ooh what school? I’m looking at fancy liberal arts school in New York!”

“I thought you wanted to go to an Ivy.”

“I’m branching out! I thought you were an only child.”

Noah looks back and forth between the two, arms folded over a white tank top. His hair is stupidly long and his nose is pierced now with a silver hoop. Dad is so going to kill him and that’s the only salvation TJ is getting from this. “The New School. I don’t know if you’d hear about it around here-“

“Oh, I was looking at The New School! I’m looking for a good film program though I was thinking more NYU-“

“Dude, my girlfriend goes there! Sweet school man, if you ever wanna tour you have a personal guide for sure!” TJ rolls his eyes because Noah’s girlfriends last about as long as his hairstyles but Cyrus’s eyes go wide and TJ could kill him for giving him false hope, even about something so small.

“Wow, thank you! I’m looking at Massachusetts schools too, I think I’m going to do a big road trip-“

“You knew I had a brother.”

“What?”

“You’re rambling because you’re nervous because you didn’t know I had a brother but you did. I mean I don’t talk about him but I told you. The night I met your parents, your mom and step dad I mean, they kept bragging about your accomplishments at dinner to me and I said I already knew them all and you said ‘Sorry, downside to being an only child. You know how it is’ and I said ‘Actually I don’t. I have an older brother I don’t see him very much though’ and your eyes got wide but then the subject was changed and you wanted to show me your room after so you forgot.”

“Well look who’s rambling nervously now,” Noah mutters under his breath and now TJ really could kill him.

“Oh.” Cyrus is looking at TJ with a look of fondness that he’s seen directed at him more and more lately. Then, his eyes go wide, “Oh my gosh! You don’t see each other very often and here I am intruding! I should head out, give you guys some time for some macho brotherly bonding,” he nudges TJ’s shoulder.

“No no, it’s okay. I know you’re not used to driving at night yet, I don’t want you to have to risk it. I didn’t even know he was coming,” he shoots Noah a glare.

Noah nods quickly, “Yeah he didn’t. I just came to surprise my little bro for his birthday,” he reaches forward, ruffling TJ’s already destroyed hair, “Where are mom and dad by the way?”

“Date night.”

“Riiiight,” Noah smirks, “How convenient. So Cyrus, I’ll be taking my former room turned guest room but you could tooootally crash with Tyler. Sorry, TJ, Teej. His bed _totally_ fits two, right TJ?”

That’s it, there is no really wants to. Noah is officially, completely and utterly dead.

“Uh...”

“No no no, I couldn’t intrude on something like this! As an only child, it’s my duty to protect other sibling relationships. I mean, like all my friends are only children too but I feel like it must be. I have to brave the dark sometime anyways! We’ll just rain check on Notting Hill. Don’t forget your pinky promise!”

“I could never,” TJ smiles.

“Yeah he could neverrrrr,” Noah echoes, grinning harder.

“Awesome. I’ll see you later TJ. It was really nice to meet you Noah, I hope I get to again!”

“Oh I’m sure you will...”

TJ knows he’ll get roasted to hell and back for it the second the door closes but he still squeaks out a “Text me when you get home safe!” as Cyrus turns to leave.

Cyrus looks back. “It’s like three blocks. But anything for you,” he bobs his head a bit and smiles, before stumbling to pull his keys out of his pocket as he leaves.

Noah is smiling like a madman now and the very second the door clicks closed he’s tackled TJ onto the floor. “TYLER KIPPEN’S IN LOOOOVE!!” Noah’s wrestling style involves more hair flicking than physical strength, allowing TJ to rotate the two of them over and hover on top of him, a strong hold on his wrists.

“It’s TJ.”

“Jesus you’ve gotten big,” Noah spits out, “you’re an NBA motherfucker now.”

There’s a knock on the door, a patterned ba ba da ba ba - ba ba!, Cyrus’s signature - and TJ releases Noah, jumps up, and bolts to open it.

“Hey,” Cyrus gives a little wave, “I went to put my podcast on and realized I forgot my phone.” TJ stares at him blankly, too focused on the mortification. He can’t begin to imagine what he looks like right now. “Can’t text you that I got home safe without it! Although, I suppose I could use iMessage on my computer...”

“No, no, one sec, I’ll grab it,” TJ jumps into action, jogging back to the living room where Noah is now laying on the floor lazily grinning at Cyrus, like he chose this over the couch rather than being borderline flattened into the carpet.

Cyrus and Noah exchange little waves that TJ deliberately ignores as he jogs the phone back to Cyrus, panting a bit. Wow does he need basketball season to start back up again.

“Thanks,” Cyrus takes his phone, clicking the lock screen and glancing down. It’s full of notifications as it always is. TJ sometimes (often, very often) wonders why Cyrus would ever choose to spend a Friday night in with him. TJ is popular in a jock way, in a girls always ask for his number which is beginning to get very annoying way, but Cyrus is popular in a more genuine way. In an everyone who isn’t a homophobic douchebag loves him way, in a Cyrus has no concept of the fact that that’s being popular way, despite the fact that when TJ walks through the halls by himself people cower a bit, instinctually more than anything now, but when he’s with Cyrus they get interrupted every 5 seconds for a conversation.

“Well I should...” TJ’s unsure of how long they’ve been standing there but Cyrus has now slipped his phone into his pocket and is gesturing vaguely to the door.

“Right, right.”

Neither of them move. Cyrus looks at TJ thoughtfully, opens his mouth, closes it, and then finally says, or more blurts if his face is anything to go by, “I like your hair like that.”

“What?”

“It looks good when it’s tousled like that, that’s all. I like it.”

“Oh.”

“Okay. Well...bye!” Cyrus turns and full on runs to the car, which isn’t a typical sight from him. Noah laughs as TJ watches him retreat.

“Alright,” TJ walks back, sinking into the couch, “Get it out of your system. It’s clear you came back just to tease me sooo...”

“Nah,” Noah jumps up, nudging TJ over so he can settle into what used to be (and as an older brother, therefore always is) his spot. “I did come back because of him though.”

“Cyrus?” TJ’s eyes widen. “What? Are you recruiting from The New School or...”

“What? Dude, no. My friends made me get an Instagram, they said my whole ‘hippie routine,’” his fingers, each adorned with two rings, make sweeping air quotes, “was making me too behind the times. I followed your account and saw 300 pictures of that Cypress dude-“

“It’s Cyrus.”

“Right. My friends saw your profile and were like ‘duuuude your brother has a boyfriend? That’s so cool’ and I realized I didn’t even know and that’s like...fucked up ya know? Can’t miss your little brother’s first great love! So do mom and dad know?”

“I...what?” TJ is starting to get dizzy, very, very dizzy, “Cyrus isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Ha. Come on dude, you don’t have to lie to me. I wear guyliner sometimes! Wait, eyeliner. My friend told me not to gender it.”

TJ stares at him blankly.

“Oh my god, you’re really not dating? Oh bro,” Noah wraps an arm around his shoulder, “You are so damn lucky that I’m here.”

 *

TJ’s escape comes soon after, when their mom and dad come home and their mom yelps to see her sons back together in one place and their dad yelps to see his son has a “third hole in his nose.”

He sits in his room, hiding underneath a blanket, switching back and forth between Instagram and texting Cyrus. Really, his feed doesn’t have that many pictures of him. Okay, maybe there are a good few and he did indulge in an eight picture slideshow on his birthday but he deliberately chose eight like _oh, I totally don’t have enough pictures to fill the maximum amount_.

 

He swipes through said pictures now, zooming in and out on a picture of the two of them on the court, Cyrus holding the sign he had made that said “GOOO KIPPEN” (he had run out of both name and basketball puns) and smiling at the camera while TJ smiled down at him. He zooms in on the crinkle in his own eyes and then quickly swipes to the next picture, a snapchat video of Cyrus showing off a smiley fry from his school lunch that looked more like a frowny face.

A knock comes at his door at the same moment that a text from Cyrus comes in. He opts for the text but the door opens anyways and he knows that he doesn’t have to say anything for Noah to come underneath the blanket with him. It was their brother code as kids, before Noah moved away. If one of them was hiding from mom or dad or both (usually because they did something they weren’t supposed to be doing), the other found them and hid with them. It did make them easier to find but they didn’t care. There was safety in numbers.

“Your new hiding place sucks,” Noah whispers. He glances down at TJ’s phone to see the notification from Cyrus, snorting at the dragon emoji and eyes emojis by his name. Noah goes to yank it but TJ hangs on tight, smoothly tucking it into his pocket.

“I don’t fit into any of the old ones,” TJ mutters, rolling his eyes though Noah can’t see it in the dark of the blanket.

“Sorry I ruined your sleepover,” Noah whispers, “Were you going to tell him?”

“Oh my god,” TJ sits up, throwing the blanket to the edge of his bed. Noah raises an eyebrow at TJ’s pajama shirt (the old Good Hair Crew Honorary Member t shirt that Cyrus made him in ninth grade that was way too big when he gifted it to him and fits just about right now). “I have nothing to tell him.”

“Why are we playing this game, dude?”

“It’s not a game it’s just my life and I don’t want to talk about it with you,” TJ practically hisses.

“Okay, okay, geez louise,” Noah puts his hands up defensively before moving his legs up to sit criss cross apple sauce and face TJ head on. “I just don’t understand what you have to lose man. He totally likes you too, I was with the dude for like five seconds and I could see it, shit I could feel it man! It’s like electric...” he places his hands beneath his chin and looks at TJ thoughtfully, “Really, what’s up man?”

TJ glares at him and his brother stares back. This game, the waiting game with TJ, he’s used to. What he’s not used to is the way that TJ’s face softens before he says, “I’m just not ready to lose him.”

“What do you mean?” He scooches a bit closer, just a few inches, but still enough to make TJ roll his eyes.

“He’s really set on New York, you know Columbia or NYU or The New School,” TJ picks at the edge of his shirt, “I could never get into a place like that. It’s just funny, ya know. Everyone I care about leaves me for New York,” he snorts, pulling his phone out of his pocket and fiddling with it.

“Tyler…”

“It’s TJ, oh my god. Just close the door on your way out okay,” he looks up at Noah, “Please.”

Noah nods, standing up from TJ’s bed, making his way slowly to the doorway. He hovers. TJ’s starting to wonder why no one knows how to leave a room properly. “Wear something nice tomorrow and don’t gel your hair back.”

“What?”

“Mom’s throwing you a surprise party. Cyrus is gonna be there, obviously.”

“She’s what? But I-”

“Hate surprises, I know. Why do you think I’m telling you?” He takes one more step but quickly pauses again, “I meant what I said by the way. The kid really likes you. Some things are worth the risk TJ.”

TJ returns to his phone and Noah closes the door on his way out.

*

Cyrus is the worst person to be chosen to distract TJ while they prepare for the party, though he understands why he was picked because he’s the only person TJ can’t say no to. He really is a terrible diversion though. He’s jittery, jumping between fiddling with his straw in his milkshake, checking his phone 3000 times more than usual, and rambling about the most recent nature documentary he watched, which usually TJ loves but now just feels forced.

As angry as TJ is at Noah right now (angrier than he usually is), he’s really grateful he spoiled the surprise. Not only did he take his brother’s advice on the gel (okay not totally, there’s still a bit in, he can’t just quit cold turkey) which seems to be paying off by the way Cyrus’s eyes widened when he met him at The Spoon and the way his gaze keeps flicking upwards, he’s also grateful to know why Cyrus is acting so jittery.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d think that this was the day that Cyrus would start the conversation he had been expecting to happen for awhile. The “Sorry, I can’t be your friend anymore, you’re clingy and weird and you text back way too quickly and you laugh at my jokes way too hard and I’ve noticed the way you look at me TJ and it’s weird and just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I’m interested” conversation.

But instead, Cyrus is giving a speech on how manatees can’t swim backwards, his hands moving far too dramatically as he does. Finally, TJ can’t take it anymore.

“Cyrus…”

“And it just like gets stuck you know and then what? There’s nowhere else to turn it’s kind of horrifying-”

“Cyrus!” TJ reaches out and grabs Cyrus’s hands to stop them from moving, really, that’s all, and places them on the table, keeping his own hands firmly on top of them. “You can relax. I know.”

His eyes go wide, “Uhh...about the manatees? Have you been watching nature documentaries without me?!”

“No. I know about the surprise party.”

“Aww man!” Cyrus’s shoulders relax a bit but he keeps his hands where they are, underneath TJ’s. TJ almost lets himself believe that it’s deliberate. Almost. “Who told you?! Oh no..was it me?! Did I talk in my sleep again because Andi and Buffy say I do that a lot! I say some weeeeird things. Wait, when was the last time I was asleep around you?”

“What? Cyrus, relax. Noah told me.”

“Ohh...well I’m a bit disappointed but honestly I’m just happy it wasn’t me! Can you make sure Buffy knows that? I ruined her surprise party when we were ten and she still hasn’t forgiven me.”

“Sure thing.”

“I’m sorry your brother ruined the surprise though! Man _your brother_ that’s still weird to say...you really don’t talk about him huh?”

TJ looks down at their hands which somehow still have not moved to distract himself from the question but nope, that just makes him more anxious. “No, I don’t...aaaand speak of the devil.”

“TJ! Cyrus!” Noah bursts in, stumbling to the table, “There’s an emergency at the house! Kitchen related emergency! Burnt to-ohhhhhh,” Noah looks at their hands and back to TJ, who has quickly retreated them back to his pockets just as Cyrus does.

“It’s fine. Cyrus knows I know. Let’s just head to the party, okay?”

“Burnt toast?” Cyrus mutters, following the two brothers out, “Even I could do better than that!”

TJ can’t stop himself from laughing.

*

“You have to act surprised,” Cyrus whispers as they approach the front door, “Shocked! Flabbergasted!”

“Yeah yeah, why don’t you trust me?!”

“I do! I just…” he turns to Noah, “We took acting together sophomore year because TJ needed the arts credit and I don’t want to say it was disastrous but…”

“Well sorrry we can’t all be Ryan Reynolds!”

“Odd choice.”

“Not really,” Noah flicks open the front door, “TJ’s seen The Proposal like 300 times.”

TJ’s choked out excuse and Cyrus’s shocked face are drowned out by the thunderous “SURPRISE!” In the end, TJ does look surprised, although more startled, because he was so distracted by Cyrus he forgot to prepare for a room full of people.

TJ is pretty instantly overwhelmed by the whole affair. The party trickles out to the back porch and after a few more thank you’s, mostly to his parents, TJ slips away to a deck chair in the corner to observe. It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy parties, he does, but this assortment of people is...a bit unsettling. The basketball team, some random kids from his classes, some members of the debate club (TJ’s followed Cyrus to enough meetings to get to know them), his actual friends (Cyrus’s friend group that had come to adopt him), his parents, his brother. He’s grateful for all of them but he’d really just rather be with-

“Cyrus, hey!”

“Hi. Is this seat taken?” He nods to a chair that he’s pulling up beside TJ, chuckling at his own joke as he sits down. “So ‘never throw him a surprise party’ is now noted in the ‘things to know about TJ Kippen’ section of my journal.”

“Ha,” TJ shakes his head, “It’s nice! I just have a lot on my mind right now, that’s all.”

Cyrus reaches into his pocket, pulls out his wallet, and holds a dime before TJ’s eyes, “Penny for your thoughts?”

“That’s not a penny…”

“I know,” Cyrus shrugs, “But I don’t keep pennies on me. They belong in piggy banks with nickels.”

TJ laughs and Cyrus gets that satisfied look on his face that he always gets when he’s cheered someone up, like he’s just done something important. Sometimes, TJ just wants to shake his shoulder and tell him that he underestimates the importance of everything he says and does. Sometimes, TJ wonders why on earth he stops himself.

“Hey,” he says suddenly, “Wanna get out of here?”

Cyrus laughs, “This is your party TJ.”

TJ shrugs, “I know,” he closes his eyes for a moment, as if summoning the strength, “I’d rather just be with you though.”

“Oh…” Cyrus turns a shade of pink that he quickly tries to hide by looking over to where the party is starting to congregate around one picnic table, “I uh think they’re about to do presents though.”

“Okay. But after? There’s something I want to show you.”

“Sure TJ,” Cyrus nods, “Anything for you.”

There are those words again and TJ is this close to asking what he means by _anything_ and why exactly that’s a promise he keeps making when sure enough, his mom waves him over for presents.

*

TJ is going to lose it if he gets one more basketball related present. He knows that most of the guests don’t know him too well and just came for the birthday cake (and Cyrus’s power of charm and persuasion) but he swears he’s going to snap if he opens one more basketball poster or basketball jersey or literal basketball. That is, until he opens Cyrus’s.

“It’s a bracelet,” he blushes when he sees TJ’s eyebrows wrinkle in confusion, “Andi helped me make it-”

“It was all him!” Andi gushes, “Really! I just taught him the ropes!”

“Thanks,” he turns an even darker shade of red, “I um used an old Jefferson jersey for the fabric see,” he leans forward from where he’s sitting across from TJ at the picnic table, front and center, the only thing keeping him marginally sane during this ordeal.

“You took my jersey?” TJ raises his eyebrows now.

“No, no way, that’s sacred! I uh...may have snuck into the Jefferson gym and nicked one?”

TJ’s jaw drops. “Cyrus Goodman. Are you telling me that you broke the law in order to make this?”

“Well…”

“Two laws! Trespassing and robbery!”

“You’re the one who made me add that to my bucket list!”

“I didn’t think you’d do it without me!”

“Well, I mean I did do it _for_ you…”

“Right,” TJ exhales a little laugh before continuing to examine the bracelet in wonder, turning it over and over again.

“Uh hey TJ?” Buffy clears her throat, “The rest of us got you gifts too! And good ones, just saying!”

“Right,” he flashes Cyrus a grin and slips the bracelet onto his wrist before moving onto the next present, though admittedly, his heart’s not really in it anymore. More admittedly, his heart’s only been in one place for awhile now.

*

TJ sneaks off once the presents have been distributed and the proper thanks have been given and most of the kids have started messing around with his new presents, playing dumb games with the three basketballs he was gifted.

Cyrus is deep in a conversation about New York’s liberal arts school circuit with Noah, weighing the pros and cons of a city school when TJ can’t take it anymore. He’s tried catching his eye and Cyrus does keep looking his way, admittedly a lot. It’s become clear after fifteen minutes of rambling that he’s just too polite to leave the conversation so TJ sighs, jumps to his feet, and grabs Cyrus by the hand.

“Hey!” Noah protests, very clearly half heartedly, “We’re having a conversation here!”

“I’m borrowing him,” TJ rolls his eyes at his brother before looking down at Cyrus, “If that’s okay with you, I mean…”

Cyrus looks down at their linked hands and maybe TJ’s being hopeful but he seems a bit flustered when he answers, “Uh I...of course! I mean, you are the birthday boy! And you said you had something to show me?” TJ nods and Cyrus turns to give Noah an apologetic look. “I’d love to finish this conversation later!”

“Of course! Duty calls!” he winks and TJ grabs Cyrus by the hand, turning around to stick his tongue out at his smirking brother as he goes.

*

“You have a swingset?” Cyrus’s jaw drops, closes, and drops again, “All those years at the park and you have a swingset? _How_ did I not know this?”

They’re a bit of a ways from the party now, not too far but shrouded by trees. The sun’s going to set soon but for now, there’s still light coming through and Cyrus looks golden in it as he beams at him.

“It makes me kinda sad,” he shrugs, “We can’t really use it, it’s kind of falling apart. I used to come here all the time with my brother but ya know...besides, the park is closer to your mom’s house. I didn’t want to make you come all the way here every time you were staying with her and had to swing!”

“Still, it’s beautiful TJ. Hey,” Cyrus smiles up at him, that stupid full face smile that TJ feels in his chest every time, “Thank you for sharing this with me. Is this what you wanted to show me?”

“Not quite. Come on,” TJ nods his head, making his way over to the ladder set up beside the tree house that stands firm next to the rusty swing set. There are a few steps missing from the ladder but it’s not very high. He scurries up in a few steps and hangs his legs off when he reaches the top, looking down at Cyrus expectantly.

“No, no…” Cyrus shakes his head, “I have a thing about ladders…”

“I know. I’ve got you Underdog.”

“Haven’t heard that in awhile,” Cyrus mutters and slowly, places one steady foot on the ladder. When he’s three shaky steps up, TJ pulls him gently the rest of the way and then, suddenly, they’re all tangled up in the small square treehouse. Cyrus’s leg is on top of TJ’s and their arms are pushed against one another, their backs side by side against one of the walls.

“Hi,” TJ whispers.

“Hi,” Cyrus whispers back. He looks around the tree house in amazement but it doesn’t take long before his eyes come back to TJ’s.

“I didn’t get to thank you properly for your present, by the way,” TJ says, still in a whisper like speaking at a normal volume will break the moment or maybe the treehouse itself. It _is_ pretty old.

“Oh it’s nothing,” Cyrus’s waves a hand dismissively.

“It’s not nothing! I still can’t believe you-”

“Shhh,” Cyrus places a finger to TJ’s lips, “If you say it out loud the college admission officers might hear you!”

TJ laughs and Cyrus laughs back and when Cyrus returns his hand to his side but still so close to TJ’s, TJ hears a voice in his head that sounds scarily like his brother asking him what he has to lose.

“What’s that face?” Cyrus asks.

“Huh?”

“You’re making a face, a thoughtful face. What is it?”

“It’s my I have something to tell you but I don’t know how face.”

“Oh. Well this,” Cyrus points at his own warm, closed mouth smile, “is my fire away face.”

“Okay...it’s just like…I like you.”

Cyrus beams, “I like you too TJ!”

“No like...I like you like you. Like like you? Oh my god this is so middle school,” TJ groans, “It’s like...I’m just a boy...standing in front of a boy...asking him...to love him. Well, that’s strong. Like him. Like like him.”

Cyrus claps a hand over his own mouth, “Oh my god TJ...you watched Notting Hill without me?!”

“What?! No! I just totally lied, of course I’ve seen it before.”

“Why would you lie to me?!”

“Cyrus no offense but that is so beside the point right now.”

“Right! The point!” Cyrus’s eyes go wide all over again, “You... _oh_.”

And there it is. The oh. The oh, I actually already have a boyfriend and he’s waaay cooler than you, he has Hugh Grant’s charms and Ryan Reynolds’s looks. The oh, you really thought you had a chance with me? The oh, I’m sorry but there’s no way in hell-

“I’m sorry,” TJ blurts out before Cyrus can go there, go anywhere near there. “I shouldn’t have said it, I know you don’t feel the same way, of course you don’t! And it’s totally okay, we can still be friends. If you want to be friends I mean, you don’t have to be! I just-”

And then, Cyrus is kissing him. TJ suddenly can’t remember how he dreamed kissing Cyrus Goodman would feel but he’s sure there’s no way he imagined something as perfect as this.

Cyrus pulls back after a moment, “Wait, this is okay right? I should have asked that first I just...is that what I sound like when I ramble? It was so stressful to be on the other side of that!”

“Oh, it’s more than okay. And you’re cute when you ramble,” TJ and Cyrus stare at each other, breathing and grinning. “Is it um okay with you?”

“I’m the one who initiated it dummy!”

“Well uh...feel free to initiate some more, anytime now…”

Cyrus rolls his eyes and leans back in, cupping TJ’s face this time and kissing him and kissing him and kissing him and TJ is beginning to think that he could do this his whole seventeenth year even though it’s just begun when there’s the sound of a throat being cleared at the entry to the tree house. TJ jumps back from Cyrus so fast that he bangs his head against a wooden beam.

“OW! Fuck!”

“Language,” Noah scolds as Cyrus immediately reaches up to feel if there’s a bump on the back of TJ’s head.

“Oh my god,” TJ groans, “Do they like teach you horrible timing at liberal arts school?”

“Something like that,” Noah grins, “Hi Cyrus!”

“Uh...hi,” Cyrus gives a little wave, “What’s up Noah?” he asks in a meek voice.

“Yeah great question. What _is_ up Noah?” TJ borderline hisses.

“Ah so what’s up is that mom brought out her homemade cake for her golden child’s birthday party and he was nowhere to be found and she’s uh... _this close_ to sending out a search party. I figured it’d be better if I found you first and lo and behold,” he grins at the two boys, “I was right!”

“Oh shit. We should…”

“Actually! Cyrus, do you mind if I talk to your boy in here for a minute? I never got the chance to give him his present. Tell her we’ll be there in a sec.”

“Of course!” Cyrus squeaks out, before turning to TJ, a sheepish grin on his face, “Ummm...we’ll talk later?”

“Yeah,” TJ nods, “We will.”

“Cool, cool,” he snaps some finger guns in TJ’s direction as much as he can in the cramped space and TJ laughs at the absurdity of it, ignoring the awww from Noah in the corner.

“Move so Cyrus can get down,” TJ sits up and gives Noah a shove, though he’s already jumping to the ground. It takes a few minutes and a lot of (literal) hand holding for Cyrus to get down the ladder (“It’s harder than getting up!”) but when he does, the Kippen brothers break out into identical cheers.

Cyrus gives TJ another one of his cute little waves from the ground as Noah jumps back up and TJ knows he’ll get roasted for it by the way Noah’s laughing but he can’t help the dreamy sigh that he lets out.

*

Noah counts to ten before pouncing. TJ knows this because he’s tucked his legs to his chest to curl into a ball opposite of his brother in the tree house so he has a perfect view of Noah counting to ten on his fingers before letting out a scream.

“Dude! DUUUUUDE! Was that your first kiss?!” TJ ducks his head in response. “Oh my god it was! Dude! I don’t want to say I told you so but what kind of brother would I be if I didn’t say I told you so!”

“Alright, alright,” TJ puts his hands up defensively, “You were right.”

“Fuck yeah I was! Duuuuude! That looked like some good kissing too!”

“Ew!”

“Yeah, ya know I heard it when I said it and regretted it immediately.”

TJ’s too happy to be annoyed but still, he has to ask, “So uh, did you really have a present for me or was that just an excuse to yell in private?”

“Ah! I got so caught up I almost forgot!” Noah pulls a thin white envelope out of his pocket with TJ scrawled on the front (with a small crossed out Tyler above it), “Here ya go!”

TJ rolls his eyes and opens it to find a piece of paper with “IOU” and a drawing of…”What is this? A bird? You owe me a bird?”

“What?! No!! It’s a plane,” TJ looks up and Noah is looking at him with a face that he hasn’t seen from him in awhile, not since he was young and begged his parents to let him hitchhike across the country before going ahead and doing it anyways. “I have to save up but I want to buy you a plane ticket to New York. Maybe for when Cyrus is coming to tour? I already asked him and he said he’d be down to bring you on his road trip and you could tour some schools and then um crash with me for awhile. Maybe for the summer?”

“Oh…”

“Look I...I messed up. I thought I was just leaving this stupid town behind but I left you too, didn’t I? I lied the other day…” Noah inhales, “I’ve been looking at your instagram for a long time. You went private for a week two years ago and I made a fake account just to follow it. I was a dumb kid when I was your age and I made dumb decisions and like...if it’s not too late I’d love to just...be your brother, TJ.”

TJ raises his head at the sound of his name. “Why do I feel like I’m being asked out right now?”

“Gross,” Noah crinkles his nose, “I’ll leave that to Cyrus. So…?”

“Okay,” TJ nods, “Yeah. I mean, I guess we’re stuck with each other one way or another right?”

“That’s the spirit!” Noah pumps a fist in the air, “As much as I’d love to stay here and chat, we should get back there before mom pops a vein.”

“Right,” TJ nods, “Hey um...how did you know Cyrus and I would be up here?”

“Oh,” Noah laughs, “You have no idea how many girls I took up here in high school man...I figured we watched the same rom coms growing up…”

“Ew, okay, this is officially getting too sappy,” he gives Noah a shove so he’ll jump down and gingerly folds the envelope and places it in his pocket before jumping down after him.

*

The party dwindles after the cake is eaten (TJ really wasn’t wrong in thinking that drew most of the crowd). His acquaintances leave pretty quickly and soon after Buffy and Andi suddenly _need_ to head out, pointedly telling TJ that he should give Cyrus a ride home. If this wasn’t enough indication that they know, Andi practically squeals when she says good night to Cyrus and Buffy whispers in TJ’s ear (under the guise of a goodbye hug) that she’s saving the “if you ever hurt him” talk for a day that isn’t his birthday.

Finally, it’s dark out, and it’s just TJ and Cyrus in TJ’s car, driving to Cyrus’s mom’s house with the windows down. Cyrus is silent in the passenger seat which is abnormal for him but he’s smiling this goofy smile that TJ keeps glimpsing when he looks at him at red lights (at one, Cyrus has to gingerly tell him that the light has turned green. At another, an angry row of cars behind him start honking until he starts up the car again).

Finally, they’re parked outside of Cyrus’s house, just staring at each other for a long moment, when Cyrus blurts out, “I was thinking the aquarium.”

“What?”

“For our first date, we could um go to the aquarium? You always seem so interested when I tell you fun facts, it could be good for you to learn more!” Cyrus’s eyes go wide, “Not that I’m calling you stupid I just-”

TJ laughs, reaching up and placing a hand around Cyrus’s wrist, “Hey. Relax. I do have to admit though, I’ve always been more interested in you than the fun facts,” he smirks, “Not that they’re not interesting!”

“Maybe it’s your turn to relax,” Cyrus chuckles, moving TJ’s grip to his hand and locking their fingers together.

“The aquarium sounds great though. Anything with you sounds great. Oh wow, that was so corny wasn’t it?”

“You really have been watching rom coms behind my back haven’t you?”

TJ shrugs at the same time that Cyrus leans in for a kiss, leading to his lips smacking against TJ’s nose. Cyrus stares at him for one mortified moment before they both burst out laughing, Cyrus burying his head into TJ’s shoulder.

“I should head in,” he pulls back with a sigh as the laughing dies down, “But um...text me when you get home safe?”

“Anything for you, Cyrus.”

Cyrus blushes and starts to pull his hand away but TJ quickly pulls him back in order to give him one kiss squarely on his nose.

Cyrus rolls his eyes, “I hate you.”

“Uh huh, sure,” TJ grins and Cyrus, for the millionth time that night, grins back, before finally opening the passenger door. He waits until Cyrus makes it inside safely, watching as Cyrus’s figure recedes, looking back at TJ over his shoulder once as he walks away.

*  
It’s a close call but TJ manages to stop himself from sliding against his own front door with a flustered exhale in true romantic comedy protagonist fashion. Instead, he opts for collapsing into his couch, mindlessly throwing his feet onto Noah’s lap (he was up waiting with a smirk on his face, of course) and smiling into a pillow.

“Wow,” Noah knocks the pillow out of TJ’s hands, laughing over him, “You’re in so deep for this boy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” TJ smiles into his hands now, feeling the redness of his cheeks beneath them, “Yeah, I am.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank u for reading! I have another fic coming soon! This one is dedicated to the wizard of surprise :)


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